Crunchy Sweet Chicken Salad Sandwiches

When I was contacted by Rudi’s Organic Bakery and asked to help them promote National Take Your Parent’s to Lunch Day and the Say Cheese Photo Contest I immediately knew that I was in. I am a long time lover of Rudi’s products and I’m thrilled to support their efforts to promote healthy school lunches for our kids. Their products are high in fiber, organic and don’t contain preservatives, GMO’s, or high fructose corn syrup. On top of that this bread is incredibly tasty and substantial enough to hold up to your filling of choice.

To help you have your own “Say Cheese” moments, Rudi’s has offered to give away a Canon Powershot A810 Digital Camera to one lucky winner. Details about how to enter are at the bottom of this post.

But first, let’s talk about this Crunchy Sweet Chicken Salad. I can say, without hesitation, this is hands down the best chicken salad I have ever had.

After raising four little ones, I found some tricks along the way to incorporate healthy items into their meals. They might say “I don’t like tomatoes” or “I hate onions” when many times it’s a textural, not a taste thing. In reality, they probably love the flavors of many of the foods they think they despise. My answer to this is dicing. They will undoubtedly object if they bite into a sandwich and get a big chunk of the item they’ve decided they don’t like, but when you dice it, it’s more about adding flavor. Sneaky but effective.

I believe in including these items in their meals as often as possible because it helps them develop a more sophisticated, less finicky palate. I had my boys eating all kinds of stuff when they were quite young by using this method and I swear I can pretty much put anything in front of my now grown-up guys and they’ll eat it. They have all developed into quite adventurous eaters.

The dressing for this chicken salad uses a mixture of non-fat Greek Yogurt and mayonnaise. I always use light mayo but use what you have on hand. A little Dijon mustard and the juice and zest of a fresh lemon brighten up the flavor and natural sweetness comes from chopped dried cranberries. We’ve also got some diced red onion, celery, and add a little salt and pepper to taste.

This bagged broccoli slaw makes for a great sandwich or wrap topping and adds even more fiber and great nutrition to this sandwich. Use any leftovers to throw into salads or add coleslaw dressing for a great summery side dish. You can substitute lettuce or leave it out altogether if you have very small children that might object. But trust me, don’t leave it off the sandwich you make for yourself.

For the chicken, I used the breast portion of a store bought rotisserie chicken. Easy peasy. Just remove and discard the skin and pull the meat off the bone. Shred it with your hands. You should have about 2-1/2 cups shredded chicken. Save the remaining dark meat for another purpose.

The shredded chicken and some toasted walnuts are mixed in to the amazing dressing and you are ready to make lunch. I’d recommend mixing this up the night before and keep it covered in the fridge overnight to save time. The flavor will only improve with some time in the fridge.

I used Rudi’s Honey Sweet Whole Wheat bread which is absolutely 100% kid-friendly. I can’t wait to make a grilled cheese on this yummy bread.

Layer the bread with the chicken salad and top it with some of the broccoli slaw.

This is not your typical tired peanut butter and jelly bag lunch. It’s fresh, healthy, and full of flavor. The full printable recipe appears at the very bottom of this post.

***Giveaway Closed***

Now, on to the giveaway! I’m trying out Rafflecopter for the very first time. I hope it goes smoothly but if you have any problems entering the giveaway below, please let me know. There are several easy ways to enter but only entries left on the Rafflecopter application will be eligible.

Contest Rules:

Giveaway closes on Monday, August 19 at midnight. Winner will be chosen at random and contacted by email by Tuesday, August 20. If winner does not claim their prize within 48 hours, another winner will be selected.

Disclosure: This giveaway is sponsored by Rudi’s Organic Bakery who provided me with a Canon Powershot Camera in addition to the one I am giving away. All opinions expressed on From Valerie’s Kitchen are solely my own.

Remove and discard the skin from the breast portion of the rotisserie chicken. Pull white breast meat from the chicken to a cutting board and use your hands to shred it. You should have approximately 2-1/2 cups shredded chicken. Reserve dark meat for another purpose.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place 1/3 cup walnuts in a small baking dish and bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. Chop walnuts and set aside.

Divide mixture between the sandwich bread or wraps. Top with some of the broccoli slaw. Serve immediately or place in an airtight container in a chilled thermal bag to send to school with your child for lunch.

I like how you “tricked” your kids into eating heather, and at the same time varying their food palate. I did the same, and now my boys will eat anything. When they were little, they used to want and beg for the whatever the latest sugary cereal was popular, I just recently confessed to them that I would buy one box of whatever it was that they wanted but than substitute a healthier cereal inside the bag. They thought they were eat whatever they saw on the box . .. lol Sometimes a moms gotta do what a moms gotta do . .

This looks soooooo delicious! I love cole slaw so I’m definatley desiring to try it! Also, I NEED a new camera to capture my life as a mom and a big time foodie worldwide so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pick me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)

Incredibly delicious sandwich Valerie, and unbelievable similar to one I make with broccoli-slaw (but, you’ve kicked it up a lot more!). As an alternative to sliced bread, wraps or tortillas work real well. I like doing the tortillas tostada style or tortilla chips for bite size snacking. Rudi’s Organic Bakery Tortillas & Wraps work perfect!

I’ve been learning the same about my kids! They’ve been eating onions in most meals their whole life and all of a sudden it’s becoming a “topic” lol. This chicken salad looks so good and fresh! I’d love to have it for lunch!

I believe in the same philosophy as you and so happy to hear your success story in raising your 4 children with all kinds of food! All of your dishes look really delicious and I love learning your dishes! This sandwich looks so delicious and healthy!

By the way, I love the fine dicing idea. All my life I hated onions, but I have discovered as an adult that I love the flavor they add when finely diced. My mother always put huge chunks of them, or slices, in our food, and it was just to strong for me. So take it from one whose mother didn’t know the trick – the dicing works!

I tried this and loved it!! I made a couple changes due to taste and what I had available. I used Miracle Whip instead of Mayo, grilled a chicken breast in my convection oven for the chicken, halved the recipe since I was only making it for myself for lunches, used bottled lemon juice (sorry, I never have fresh lemons on hand), and I didn’t use the chopped walnuts – I would have loved this, but didn’t have any – I just ran out the other day! It was delicious, and I especally loved the broccoli slaw and the greek yogurt!!! I am a huge greek yogurt fan and try to use it in recipes as often as possible, but I had never thought to use it this way, as a sandwich “sauce.” Thanks so much Valorie for this recipe and for the awesome info and recipes you have for us!

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